Cate hadn’t mentioned the newspaper article or the handwritten message to her yet.
Too soon.
“No,” replied Kori.
“Any news of Rich?”
“No.” Kori looked at her hands. “I think he’s dead too.”
“Why do you say that?” Cate asked sharply.
The woman shrugged. “Dunno. Just a feeling.” Her gaze rested on Cate’s bag. “He let go of Jade. He wouldn’t have done that if he was still alive. He has to be dead to give up his hold on her.”
“You mean you think he’d . . . keep her remains with him?” Cate asked delicately. She didn’t know how else to phrase it.
“He told me he’d never let me go, even if I was dead.”
Jesus Christ.
“But he essentially let you go when he left,” Cate pointed out.
“Only because he had Jade to control instead. He had to have something under his thumb, you know?”
Cate thought of the plea for help on the newspaper. “What if he found someone else to manipulate?”
Kori considered. “I used to wish that someone would catch his attention and he’d cast me aside.”
Ellen closed her eyes, regret rolling off her. Cate wondered if she’d ever forgive herself for supporting Kori’s wish to marry Rich.
“I could see that happening,” Kori added. “He has an obsessive streak.”
No shit.
“Maybe he’s not dead, then,” said Cate.
Kori’s gaze locked with Cate’s. “What are you saying? You know something about him? Has there been another sighting?”
Cate told her about the handwritten message. “Keep in mind that we don’t know how long ago it was written.”
Kori pushed to her feet and started to pace around the table, her fingers twisting her long hair into a braid near her face.
The gesture punched Cate in the gut. I forgot she does that. Kori braided when she was stressed. During the initial investigation, her hair had thinned in the spots where she habitually braided. She’d even created bald spots.
There was no evidence of balding now. Cate took that as a sign that the woman led a mostly stable life.
“He’s got someone else,” Kori muttered. “I should have killed him when I could. It’s my fault he’s able to do this to another woman. Oh, my god, what if he kills another baby?” Her voice rose; her eyes were distraught. “I should have stopped him.”
Cate stood and halted Kori’s pacing, gently taking her upper arms and making the young woman look her in the eye. “You were practically a child when you were with him. You are not responsible for what he did to you or responsible for stopping him from doing it to anyone else,” she told her emphatically. “The only person responsible for his actions is Rich himself.”
“I could have put an end to it,” Kori said. “There were many times I thought about shooting him. I could have done it.”
“And gone to prison for the rest of your life?” Cate gave her a little shake.
Déjà vu.
The conversation was very similar to their dealings seven years ago. Kori getting emotionally worked up and Cate bringing her back down. She’d done it multiple times a day back then.
“Someone else wouldn’t be suffering if I had followed through,” Kori whispered.
“Listen to me,” Cate said firmly. “You know Rich better than anyone. If anyone can help this other woman and her child, it is you. Stop focusing on what didn’t happen in the past and help me focus on the now. I need to find this woman and get her away from Rich.”